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Summertime Book Recommendations: 2014 Edition – UPDATE

Earlier this summer, I posted a number of excellent books for the 2014 Summer Book Recommendation Reading List. We all need a new nugget or two to expand our knowledge base and a good book is an excellent way to accomplish that goal. Here’s what I’ve read so far:

–The Humor Code by Peter McGraw: Excellent – I’ve always been interested in how humor can make someone more likable

–Social Media Explained by Mark W. Schaefer: Perfect for my fall social media class – I now have some more nuggets to pass along

–The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande: Different – not what I was expecting – sort of like a giant New Yorker article meaning great storytelling and less theory (although the theory is there in the reference list). In sum, the more complicated something is, the more you need a checklist so you don’t miss something

–Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple’s Greatest Products by Leander Kahney: This is a must read for any Apple/tech industry watcher. Design (e.g., how something works and NOT how something looks) is embedded into the culture of Apple and I feel is one of the main key distinctions between Apple and everyone else

Here is what I’ll be reading next:

–The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone: I am leading a discussion this fall at Seton Hall on Amazon and there is not a more complete book out there on the Amazon mindset

–The No Asshole Rule, by Robert Sutton – an interesting leadership book: My wife read this while I was reading The Checklist Manifesto and I’m working on a salesforce study that I’m sure this book would be helpful